The ideas of moderation and tolerance know no borders: International scholars honored in Samarkand
As part of the First International Islamic Civilization Forum, an award ceremony was held to recognize the winners of the international academic competition for foreign researchers titled “The Maturidi School of Thought: A Heritage Connecting Civilizations through the Values of Knowledge, Reason, and Tolerance.” The competition was organized within the framework of the international conference “The Legacy of Imam Maturidi: The Foundation of Moderation, Tolerance, and Enlightenment.”
The competition was organized by the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center to implement the Presidential Resolution of the Republic of Uzbekistan of March 14, 2025, “On the Wide Celebration of the 1,155th Anniversary of the Birth of Imam Maturidi.”
The primary objective of the competition was to promote the rich scholarly and intellectual legacy of the great theologian Imam Maturidi on the international stage, encourage in-depth academic research on the Maturidi school of thought, support the scholarly work of foreign researchers in this field, and further strengthen academic dialogue and cooperation among scholars from different countries.
Research papers submitted from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Yemen, Malaysia, Russia, Afghanistan, and other countries were evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges based on criteria including the relevance of the topic, academic originality, the theoretical and practical significance of the research, and the scholarly qualifications of the authors.
According to the final results:
First Prize – Shohimardon O‘rinbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
Second Prize – Saif ibn Ali Al-Asri (Yemen)
Third Prize – Shukran bin Abdurahman (Malaysia)
The winners were presented with diplomas and valuable prizes during the ceremony. In addition, in accordance with the competition regulations, they will participate in a cultural and educational tour of Uzbekistan’s historic cities — Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent.
As one of the key academic and educational events of the First International Islamic Civilization Forum, the competition played an important role in promoting the legacy of Imam Maturidi internationally, encouraging scholarly research on his principles of moderation, tolerance, and enlightenment, and strengthening cooperation among scholars from around the world.